08 Sep Fortify Restoration Appoints Tara Cole as Director of Human Resources
Veteran construction HR leader joins to build people-first infrastructure for a growing multi-market workforce.
Fortify Restoration, a Florida-based concrete restoration, waterproofing, roofing, and building envelope contractor backed by Osceola Capital Management, today announced the appointment of Tara Cole, SHRM-CP, as Director of Human Resources. Tara is the company’s first dedicated HR leader. She reports to Chief Executive Officer Mike Rosen and is joining the senior leadership team based at Fortify’s corporate headquarters in Tampa.
Tara brings nearly two decades of human resources and people operations leadership in the construction industry, all of it in Florida. Previously, she built company HR functions from the ground up beginning in 2011 and scaled it alongside the business as headcount grew from roughly 45 employees to more than 150. Her role extended well beyond traditional HR into payroll, benefits, workers’ compensation, safety, and risk management, including full in-house ownership of multi-entity payroll operations and tax compliance. She also played a key role in driving a company-wide focus on safety, helping improve the company’s experience modification rate from 1.39 to 0.56, the lowest in its carrier group in 2025, and managed a two-year audit period with the Department of Labor, closing it with zero findings. In addition, she held a parallel HR leadership role with the company’s sister organization from its launch in 2015.
“Our people are the business. In the trades, that is not a slogan; it is the balance sheet,” said Mike Rosen, Chief Executive Officer of Fortify Restoration. “Tara has already done the thing we are asking her to do here: build a people-first function HR function within a construction company and run it with real ownership across payroll, benefits, compliance, and safety. She is hands-on, she is direct, and she understands what it takes to recruit and retain skilled tradespeople in one of the tightest labor markets in the country. We are fortunate to have her.”
At Fortify, Tara will consolidate the company’s people functions under one roof and build the infrastructure to support a field-based workforce operating across a growing footprint. “I have spent my career in the construction industry, and I know how much the people side matters when a company is scaling,” said Tara. “Fortify is building something ambitious, and the leadership team has been clear that culture and craftsmanship go together. I am truly excited to help build a place where the best people in this industry want to work and stay.”
Tara is deeply involved in the Florida construction trade community. She serves as 2026 President of National Women in Roofing (NWIR) Tampa Council, where she has been a member since 2017, and loves seeing the NWIR councils grow across the U.S. and now globally with a recent launch of the first International Council. She is also active in the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA) and Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and participates regularly in industry conferences and leadership development programs. That network gives Fortify a direct line into the trade schools, associations, and peer companies that shape Florida’s skilled labor pipeline.
Tara holds the SHRM-CP designation and a SHRM Specialty Credential in Compensation and Benefits, along with a Human Resources Management certification from the University of South Florida and OSHA compliance and recordkeeping certification.
The appointment follows Fortify’s recent addition of Chief Financial Officer Candace Debo and continues the build-out of a corporate leadership team designed to support the company’s buy-and-build strategy across Florida.
About Fortify Restoration
Fortify Restoration is a Florida-based platform specializing in concrete restoration, waterproofing, roofing, and façade rehabilitation for high-rise condominiums and commercial properties. Backed by Osceola Capital Management, Fortify is growing through both organic expansion and acquisition, with operations in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, and the Florida Panhandle. The company’s mission is captured in its tagline: Restoring Structures. Fortifying Confidence. Learn more at fortifyrestoration.com.
About Osceola Capital Management
Osceola Capital Management is a Tampa-based private equity firm that partners with founders and management teams to build market-leading services businesses in the lower middle market.
Media Contact for Fortify Restoration: info@fortifyrestoration.com or (844) 40-FRTFY